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LEETONIA -- During Wednesday's Leetonia Village Council meeting, Mayor Kevin Siembida announced a public meeting will be held to discuss Phase 1 of the Downtown Improvement Plan. The meeting will be held March 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Village Hall. A copy of the plan is available for viewing at the village's main office located at 300 E. Main St.
The bid for the project, also known as the the Village of Leetonia Bicycle/Streetscape project, was awarded to Herbert, Rowland and Grubic (HGR) in July at a cost of $130,000. The project will see improvements to pedestrian safety, installation of ADA compliant features, new crosswalks, curb bump outs, additional lighting and a dedicated bike lane downtown. The half-mile project runs along Main, Chestnut, Walnut, Elm and Oak streets.
The Streetscape project, which is set to begin in June of 2025, is part of a long-term plan and Siembida's vision to capitalize on the village's assets and, through beautification of the downtown area, draw visitors into the proposed business district, re-establishing a thriving economy.
Streetscape focuses on the streetscape -- making the village's portion of the downtown attractive. Beautifying the streetscape will include moving the public utilities underground, fixing the sidewalks, installing curb bump-outs with trees, adding street lamps, posting signage to direct visitors to downtown and making Main and Front streets two-way with a bike trail on Main Street.
Other plans include extending the downtown area to Cherry Valley Beehive Coke Ovens. HRG has been working with the village administration since Siembida announced the revitalization plan in 2017.
Leetonia, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation, would like the community's feedback about potential social, environmental, and economic impacts of the Streetscape project. Written comments concerning the project may be mailed to the Village of Leetonia, 300 E. Main St., Leetonia, Ohio 44431 or emailed to mayor@leetonia.org All comments must be submitted by March 30.
In other matters, council tackled several pieces of legislation including the second reading of a motion to move forward on an Ohio Water Development Authority loan for the Cherry Fork waterline project, the second reading of a motion to contract with Fairfield Township for fire services and a second reading of a motion to enter into the CCH Solid Waste District. A motion to approve the 2023 final budget was also improved.
In financial matters, the council approved January's bills and payment of those bills as presented and the cash summary. Transfers from the general account to the police pension ($3,000), cemetery ($2,000) and street ($3,000) funds were approved.